Photograph courtesy of Sofia Sanchez de Betak
Wanderlust struck Sofia Sanchez de Betak at a young age. With parents who worked in the travel industry, the Argentina-born fashion consultant and art director began racking up miles early on — and, well, she’s never really stopped. As the founder of Chufy.World, which highlights artisanal designs from far-flung locales, she crisscrosses the globe for inspiration and counts not one but two cities as her home base: Paris and New York. Sanchez de Betak, wearing Tory’s Shasta dress above, gives us a glimpse at that peripatetic life in her new book Travels With Chufy (Assouline). “Looking beyond the glossy veneer of obvious travel tips is something I have been trained to do from a young age, thanks to parents and grandparents who sparked within me a relentless craving for adventure,” she writes in the introduction. Here, a peek at some of those Chufy-approved destinations — and her recs on what to do there.



Laikipia, Kenya
“Many tourists to this part of the world visit the Maasai Mara National Reserve, which is one of Africa’s leading destinations for safari travel. As a national park, the Mara is extremely well preserved, but this also means that it is filled with a multitude of different camps — and, therefore, tourists — so travelers are rarely alone. The best way to experience Kenya is to go as remote as possible, and one of the beauties of Ol Malo is how exquisitely remote it is. On this privately owned property, visitors share the wildlife with nobody. There are so few places left in the world where one can be truly alone in nature.”

Istanbul, Turkey
“Today, when I visit Istanbul, although I still enjoy visiting those same tourist sites — the Topkapı Palace never gets old — I enjoy it even more when I can be spirited across the river to Aslı Tunca’s impossibly elegant retreat. Her fresh homemade muesli and juices are better than anything found at a five-star hotel. Wander the streets and admire the layers of architecture accumulated over the millennia, and experience the thrills and mysteries of Istanbul in a funky way at any of the city’s hidden ‘escape the room’ puzzles — just pay attention at every sign and listen closely to instinct.”

  • Sofia Sanchez de Betak © Angeles Holmberg; Travels With Chufy (Assouline)
  • Sanchez de Betak visiting Laikipia, Kenya © Sofía Sanchez de Betak
  • Sanchez de Betak horseback riding through the Kenyan savannah © Alexandre de Betak
  • The Masseria Potenti hotel in Puglia © Masseria Potenti
  • Sanchez de Betak in Istanbul, Turkey © Alexandre de Betak
Puglia, Italy
“[Masseria Potenti owner] Maria Grazia loves when her guests show an interest in the farm work and will happily show them how to harvest grapes, olives, or fruit or help with the drying of herbs or the picking and jarring of vegetables. After all have earned their keep, so to speak, they are welcome to return to their bedrooms for a long, lazy nap or pull up a chaise by the pool and soak up the rest of the afternoon.”

Flatey, Iceland
“Visit in summer for the most agreeable weather and late-night twilights that last for hours. Bird-watching and long walks by the water are a must. Convince a local fisherman to take a trip to the secret hot springs in the middle of the nearby sea. Don’t leave without trying the Hótel’s traditional yet unpretentious Icelandic cuisine — I loved the impossibly fresh pink caviar and blueberry lamb. And, of course, pick up a traditional Icelandic sweater to bring home.”

Patagonia, Argentina
“Every visit to Patagonia feels like a fresh discovery, and I have always felt drawn to the wild heart of this untamed country. My family is very outdoorsy, and we all began fly-fishing in the rivers of Argentina at a very young age. We would always stay at the same place: Estancia Arroyo Verde, the home of my stepdad’s family, the Larivières. Meme Larivière, Buby’s aunt, has long been my role model. I have never met such an energetic and knowledgeable woman; she’s like a grandmother to me, and Arroyo Verde is my dream home. The enchanting house stands on a 10,000-acre estate, where the snow-capped Andes fall into the heart of the steppe, where the idyllic Traful River runs free and the vistas stretch far out into the distance, farther than the eye can see or the mind can even comprehend.”

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